Bulgaria's entire weightlifting team has been thrown out of the Sydney Olympics after two more of its medallists were disqualified for doping.

The International Weightlifting Federation applied the sanction under its "three strikes and out rule" whereby a national federation is suspended for at least 12 months if
three of its lifters test positive in a calendar year.

Izabela Dragneva, gold medal winner in the women's 48 kg category, and men's 62 kg bronze medallist Sevdalin Minchev were stripped of their medals and kicked out of the Games after positive tests for the banned diuretic furosemide.

On Wednesday, men's 56 kg silver medallist Ivan Ivanov met the same fate after also testing positive for furosemide.

Lessons

"There are some athletes that did not want to learn the lessons. They are learning the hard way now," said International Olympic Committee director general Francois Carrard.

IWF rules allow a federation to avoid suspension by paying a $50,000 fine, as Romania did this week to stay at the Games.

It's time for us to get tough and if we have to be bastards we have to be bastards